The Healing Waters
by ariaswan
Summary: It’s funny, that was the scariest, most uncertain time of my life, and yet I’d almost rather be there than here, caught in limbo, unable to move forward..." Elena's sequel to FFVII, as she struggles in a dramatically different world. R/E.
1. Prologue

Prologue-After

Time passes quicker than most of us give it credit for. When Reno mentioned something about how it was two years since the whole thing with Jenova and Sephiroth, I actually burst out laughing, wondering how so much time could possibly have lapsed. Then I saw that it was true and sobered quickly, realising the sad truth that life is slipping past all of us, and we've fallen too far to try and catch it.

My memories of that time are so vivid, I can taste them: Tseng's blood as we pulled him from the Temple of the Ancient's; the stifling flame of Meteor as it neared us; Reno's kiss, first when we thought our time was up, then we realised it was just beginning. It's funny, that was the scariest, most uncertain time of my life, and yet I'd almost rather be there than here, caught in limbo, unable to move forward.

Shinra is gone, and with it the Turks, though we are of course still together. The five of us, myself, Reno, Rude, Tseng and Rufus, live at Healin Lodge, near Edge. The name of our home is somewhat ironic, being that Rufus is slowly dying and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it. He has Geostigma, like about a billion of the planet's population. He thinks it's a punishment for what Shinra did to the world, and in my darker moments I think I agree with him. Then I mentally slap myself, and remind myself that what happened isn't only due to Shinra: Sephiroth was the one who wanted to destroy the world, and even AVALANCHE weren't entirely blameless. But I still find myself cataloguing our misdemeanours, from the small things like assassinations of minor rebels, to the absolutely huge things like Reno dropping the plate on Sector 7. I wonder if the only way things can move forward is if we forgive ourselves, or if we'll wait til the end of time for the others to forgive us. What will it be?

A/N- Ok, this needs some explaining- this is a kind of Advent Children based sequel to the game, but one that assumes that Reno and Elena were together during FFVII. Confusing, I know :-p. However, all will become clearer as it goes on, as there are flashbacks. This is first person Elena, so won't actually include much of what was seen in the film- the fic also carries on after AC finishes. Don't shoot me, it'll all explain itself lol. Please review XD


	2. Jenova

Chapter One

Jenova

Reno and I were sparring in the garden at Healin when Rufus was visited by the silver haired men. I think I was winning, but I also think Reno was letting me. It was bare bones fighting, no weapons, no gloves, no nothing. We fought a lot, I think to compensate for the tension that was in the air whenever we were together. My feelings for Reno had only grown in their intensity over the last couple of years, but circumstances meant that we hadn't been able to act upon what we felt. I grew more and more frustrated by the day, wondering when we would finally get our time. And it never came, and so we had to resort to fighting to work it all out, our screams and groans as our flesh clashed the closest we got to pleasure.

I had just hit Reno hard on the side of the head, and he had fallen to the ground. He was lying there, grousing and muttering. I dropped to the floor beside him, sitting down. I grinned broadly.

'Who wins?'

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, and then in a split second he was on top of me, pinning me down. Inwardly, I cursed myself. Reno is not only the quickest Turk, he fights the dirtiest too. He matched my grin, counting silently under his breath. _One, two, three._

I thrashed and twisted under him, to no avail. 'Winner,' he pronounced, letting go of my wrists. He didn't move from me. We were both breathing hard.

'You cheated,' I stated, shaking my head.

He had the nerve to look affronted. 'Nuh uh! It's a fair move!' His face twisted into a smile. 'It's just your own problem that you can never tell when I'm gonna do it.'

Screaming I threw him over, rolling over so I was the one in control. I put my hand over his mouth to stop him from complaining, then pressed his hands beneath one of mine. I knew I could never hold him down like that, but he humored me.

'You win,' he said, words muffled by my hand. When I didn't instantly move it away, he licked me.

'Reno! Argh,' I shrieked rolling off him. 'That's so gross.' We lay on our backs in the grass, panting a little. I couldn't believe that a grown man of 23 would _lick_ my hand. What a _baby_.

We were recovering when the yell came from within the lodge. For a second we both lay in silence, wondering what the hell had happened. Then it came again. Reno scrambled to his feet, then reached down and pulled me up. We ran inside, each unarmed. I was aware of Reno moving in front of me, for protection. I was both touched and offended at the same time.

Rufus was in the receiving room of the lodge. Surprisingly, he was by himself. Usually we tried to leave someone with him at all times. Tseng was the one who minded doing this the least and Rude was usually okay with it too. Me and Reno, being the younger two, generally got away with not doing it, which suited both of us fine, and I think it suited Rufus too. He's never liked Reno, and I think I annoyed him too. So Reno and I would spar and patrol, and Rude and Tseng would guard Rufus and rest, and that was how we lived. Until that scream pierced the air.

'Rufus, what's happened?' Reno ran to his side, looking both concerned and baffled. Rufus was sitting in his wheelchair just screaming intermittently.

'It's happening again,' he sobbed. Involuntarily I took a step back, frightened. Rufus was crying? What the fuck had just happened to him?

'Rufus... What's happening?' Reno asked, his voice unusually soft.

'Jenova,' said Rufus. 'We need... to get... Jenova.' He moaned, tipping forwards.

I frowned. 'Reno,' I said softly, tipping my head slightly towards where we kept our materia. I mouthed _sleep_, and he nodded. I quickly equipped the glowing orb, and cast the spell on our former leader before he had chance to upset himself further.

'What the fuck was that?' It was not really a question, but I felt as though I should answer it.

'I think he's hallucinating. Jenova's gone, Reno. What could he mean?'

Reno shrugged, looking unsettled. He then frowned. 'Where are Tseng and Rude?'

I was about to answer when I heard a dull thudding noise. I looked at Reno sharply. He nodded towards the small closet off the reception room. He approached it, slowly and cautiously, then yanked the door open.

I gasped. Tseng was within, bound and gagged. Rude was there too, only he had been knocked unconscious. I quickly pulled the gag from Tseng's mouth.

'Rufus!' He cried.

'He's in there,' Reno told him, grimly. 'What the fuck happened to you guys?'

'Three men,' said Tseng, looking a little stunned. 'Sephiroth clones.'

My blood chilled. 'Sephiroth?'

'They're planning another Reunion, supposedly.' He shook his head. 'I could barely hear them from in here.' He frowned. 'Is Rude okay?'

Reno nodded. 'He's got a thick head. He'll be fine in a minute.' Rather hesitantly, he asked 'How can there be another Reunion? Jenova's gone... isn't she?'

Tseng shrugged, somewhat helplessly. 'It would appear not. Or at least, they don't think so. They believe enough of her is still in existence...' He trailed off. 'I really don't know. When Rufus comes around, we can ask him, but...' Reluctantly, he added 'Maybe Strife would know something.'

I heard Reno sigh, loudly. He hated the fact that he knew in order to rebuild Shinra in any way we had to have the former members of AVALANCHE on side. I don't think he actually held any resentment towards them for what had happened previously, but he hated anyone who was anti-Turk. Of all of us it was Reno who'd leaned most on what we were, forming his only identity, his only family, out of it.

'I, I know Reeve's still in touch with him,' I piped up. I ignored whatever Reno was muttering under his breath. 'If you want, I could go see him.'

Tseng nodded distractedly. 'That may actually be a good idea. Go with her Reno, and don't even utter one word of complaint, okay?'

Reno is kind of a jerk sometimes, but even he knows when to stop. 'We'll go now,' he told Tseng.

'Thank you Reno, Elena. Make sure you're fully armed. They were strong, and we don't know, maybe they're still hanging around.'

'Will you be okay Tseng?' I asked him, concerned.

He nodded. 'I'll be fine. Be careful, you two.'

We nodded, and collected our weapons. Reno wisely held his tongue til we were far away from the lodge before launching into his tirade.

'Why AVALANCHE, yo?'

He spoke so suddenly, that I nearly crashed the car. When I'd punched him in the head and righted the vehicle again, I let him rant.

'They'll never help rebuild Shinra, and we all know it. Never mind that Strife is apparently AWOL these days. But come on. You really think Barrett and Tifa and those other idiots are gonna be on board, ever? We may as well just cut our losses and start from scratch. Fuck those guys.'

'Reno, you know how the world feels about Shinra. We need Cloud.'

'We don't,' he muttered sullenly. I felt bad for him. Shinra had saved him from a lonely life, and I knew he was desperate to honour that by spearheading this thing himself. But even though Reno was probably the most charming guy I knew, I also recognised that he wasn't the most trustworthy. Still, it was a hard position for him, I knew that.

We reached the headquarters of Reeve's company, the WRO, in only about 10 minutes, but a further 45 minutes of our lives were wasted by the guards who didn't wanna let us in. Reeve had to come down himself to convince them to let us in.

'Reno, Elena.' He smiled at us warmly. Despite what Reno did to Sector 7, I think he always liked the two of us best out of the Turks. Better than Tseng, who was too cold, and Rude who was too quiet. I think, in all honesty, a lot of people liked me and Reno best.

'This is a business call, Reeve.' Reno had never liked the fact that Reeve had gotten so attached to AVALANCHE during the Sephiroth crisis. He wasn't good at hiding what he felt for people, either.

Reeve looked a little hurt, but he nodded. 'Of course. What can I do for you?'

I decided to step in here, knowing Reno as well as I did. 'Rufus was attacked today, by a group searching for Jenova.'

Reeve raised his eyebrows. 'Jenova?'

I nodded. 'They seem to think another Reunion is going to happen.'

He frowned. 'It could only happen if part of Jenova still existed. Surely though, she must have been destroyed in the cave...'

'If he doesn't know, can we go?' whined Reno.

I shot him a death glare. 'Do you think maybe there's something left in the cave?' I asked Reeve.

'I don't know. Pure common sense tells me there can't be, but this is Jenova we're talking about.' He sighed. 'I suppose this will have to be investigated.'

'We'll handle it,' cut in Reno.

I rolled my eyes. 'Reno-'

'No, Elena. This is our problem, not his. He defected.' He shook his head. 'Fuck this,' he muttered, then stormed out.

I stood for a second. 'Reeve, I'm sorry.'

He smiled tiredly. 'It's okay. Reno is Reno. I understand how he feels. Would it be alright with you if I got in touch with Cloud? I think he should know about this.'

I nodded. 'Of course. I agree.' I hesitated. 'Um, I should catch up to Reno. You know what he's like when he's upset.'

Reeve smile. 'Of course. Thank you for coming here, Elena.'

'It's really no problem,' I told him. We nodded our goodbyes. I left the building to catch up to Reno.

He was standing by the car, fuming. I remembered I had the keys on me. As I got closer to him, I saw his cheeks were red, and his fists were clenched.

'Reno,' I reached out, gently uncurling his hands. I could feel his pulse in his fingertips, hammering.

'It makes me so angry,' he said, his voice shaking. 'Everyone's forgotten about Shinra.' He bit his lip. 'Everything we did, all our achievements...' He was breathing hard, face flushing.

'Oh, Reno.' I held onto his hand. 'I know it's been hard. We're getting there, slowly.'

He nodded. 'Yeah, but... Everything's different now.' He looked so sad, I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him. He hugged me back, and then tentatively kissed me. For a moment I kissed him back, and it felt awesome. But then it bought back all the emotions of the last two years. We pulled away at the same time, the awkwardness so heavy it was like a person stepping between us. I unlocked the car, and we both climbed in. The drive back to Healin was silent.


	3. Northern Cave

Chapter Two

North Cave

Reeve got in touch with Tifa, who claimed to know nothing about Jenova. The only place she thought worth searching was the North Cave, where Sephiroth had been defeated.

'I'll go,' said Tseng, grimly. 'Rude, you should stay here with Rufus. Reno, you fly the 'copter.'

Reno and Rude both nodded, then Reno frowned. 'Tseng, you can't go down there alone.'

Tseng nodded. 'No, I can't.'

It took us a moment to work this out, and then we all did.

'Elena? No way.' Reno shook his head vehemently. 'No. Tseng I'll go.'

Tseng shook his head. 'No Reno. You have to fly the chopper. Elena will come with me.'

I swallowed hard. The Northern cave scared me more than I wanted to admit. But I knew I had to go. I opened my mouth to speak, but Reno cut me off.

'No way, yo! That place is a death trap!'

'Reno, it's fine,' I told him, but he ignored me.

'No fuckin' way!'

'Reno, it's not negotiable. Elena will come with me.'

'No!' Reno looked as though he couldn't believe it.

'Then it's decided. Elena?' Tseng looked at me.

Ignoring Reno's cries of protest, I nodded. 'Of course.'

'Then it's decided.'

'No, it fuckin' isn't. Are you crazy Tseng? Let Elena stay here with Rufus. I'll go down with you, Rude can handle the chopper for a little bit.'

I spoke before Tseng could. 'Reno, I'm not the rookie anymore. I'll do it, okay?'

'No, it's not!' Reno's face was getting redder.

'Reno. There's nothing more to say. If Elena agrees to come down, and strategically we acknowledge it's planned for the best, then she comes down. If you decide not to participate, due to your need to appear macho, then you should probably leave Healin, because you clearly don't care about the president at all.'

I thought for a moment that Reno was going to completely lose it. He and Tseng were standing face to face, Tseng completely calm, Reno bubbling with anger. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the moment they fought. A banging door snapped me out of it.

Tseng and Rude were still there, but Reno was not.

'He left?' I couldn't believe it. 'Is he coming back?'

'He'll come back,' said Rude.

He did return, though it was much later in the evening. I felt sick and tense waiting for him. The second the door opened and he came in, looking sullen and awkward, I threw my arms around him.

'I thought you'd left,' I told him, pulling back a little.

He shook his head, and I saw he was still angry with me. 'Oh, Reno. You know I have to.'

'You don't,' he stated, but then his face softened. 'They're dangerous, 'Lena. They tackled Tseng and Rude, with no problem. What if they're down there?'

'It'll be fine Reno. I'm tougher than I look.' I punched him gently. 'You know that!'

He didn't smile. 'Yeah, but-'

'But nothing. I'm sorry Reno. I'm going to go down there.'

He slumped down into a chair. I sat near him, but not too close, knowing how upset he can get at times like this. I didn't think he'd lash out at me or anything. God, no. But I thought us being so close could only make things worse. It's never helped in the past anyway.

'Do you understand?' I asked him.

'Yes and no. I understand why you would feel you have to go. I know you're loyal to Rufus, and I know that you and Tseng have been close in the past, but-'

'Wait.' I cut him off. 'Don't bring my relationship with Tseng into this Reno. That's not fair. It was two years ago. Don't make me sound like a little girl controlled by her hormones.' Pointedly, I said 'if that was true, I'd listen to you, wouldn't I?'

I think this surprised Reno, the outright admission that I had feelings for him. Funny, since that night on the roof in Kalm we'd done so well at pretending there was absolutely nothing between us that I'd think we'd managed to convince ourselves of it. Not completely of course, at least I hadn't. I still felt a rush every time I saw him, and that kiss earlier... But we knew what we had to be, and what we couldn't be. And we couldn't be together.

'Our timing is shit, isn't it,' said Reno conversationally, though I could see the hurt in his eyes.

'How about we go on a date, when we've got rid of these Jenova freaks?' I said it casually, but my body was rigid. I wanted him so much, had done for _three years_.

'A date?' He grinned. 'A real, old fashioned date? Elena, you girly girl.'

'Fine.' I stood up. 'I guess you don't have feelings for me. That's fine. I mean, it's been two years. That's a long time I guess. So I understand completely.' I was only half serious. I know Reno, better than he would ever admit I do.

'Lena, wait.' He stood too, caught my hand. 'You're an overdramatic fool, you know that?'

I rolled my eyes. 'Charming!'

He grinned disarmingly. 'Come on. You know I'm kidding. And I was kidding a second ago, too.' He kissed me suddenly. I was surprised, but I kissed him back. I've never felt such pure, unadulterated chemistry with anyone in the way that I do with Reno. But it's not just a lustful chemistry. It's a connection, a communion. I feel certain he feels the same way, because the feeling is too intense to be unreciprocated.

Incredibly reluctantly, I pulled back from him. We both smiled, a little sheepishly. For a second we just waited for our breathing to return to normal. And then we just said goodnight and went to bed, separately, because the time still wasn't right for us. As fucking usual.

xoxoxoxoxox

I'm not keen to tell you too much about what happened when we went down into the cave, because it's almost embarassing how easily we fell into the trap of those Jenova loving freaks. Reno took us down in the chopper, and because Tseng was there, and because I think Reno was still pretty annoyed at me, we didn't get a moment together. Not a single moment.

And then when we got down there, we managed to get Jenova to him, but of course the kids were down there. One of the little assholes shot me, and whilst I was on the floor bleeding, I heard the chopper hovering close above us, but Tseng yelling at Reno to get the hell out of there right now. I didn't want Reno to be gone, but my head was so fuzzy that I couldn't shout out to him. One of the horrible kids started to drag me to one of the more hidden parts of the cave, and I could hear Tseng behind me, in a similar situation. I knew I needed to stay awake, but my leg hurt so much that I just couldn't. I passed out, head dashing against the rocky ground.

I woke to a blade being trailed across my chest. I started so much that it pierced my flesh, and I began to scream. The silver haired youth that held it began to laugh. Somewhere near me, I heard Tseng's voice, but couldn't hear what he saying.

The man with the knife grinned at me. 'I'm glad you're awake.'

I swallowed hard, terrified. Where were we? Still down in the cave?

'I've been trying to talk to your friend.' The man jerked the knife towards Tseng. 'But he's a little shy. I'm hoping you're a little chattier.'

He cut me suddenly. I cried out at the sharp pain, the unpleasant sensation of spilling blood apparent across my stomach. I heard Tseng call my name.

'Where's mother?' He stared at me, bringing his face very close to mine. I clamped my mouth shut. 'Where's mother?' He cut me again, a little deeper and a little harder. I bit my lip, refusing to answer.

'Where is she?' He let out a cry of frustration, slashing at my skin. I whimpered in pain.

He took a deep breath, calming himself. 'You're shy too, huh.'

I closed my eyes, struggling to blank the pain out. He lifted my hand and my eyes shot open. I gazed at him fearfully. He had a little package in one hand. Dropping my hand, he withdrew something from it. A small, dreadfully sharp, needle. He picked up my hand again.

'Where's mother?' he repeated, driving the needle under my nail. I screamed in pain. He repeated the action, on every finger of my hand. I was sobbing, tears mixing with sweat on my cheeks, but I wouldn't answer him, I wouldn't. Finally he tired of me, and punched me in the head. I gladly accepted unconsciousness.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

When I woke up again, the men weren't there, but Tseng was. His beautiful, porcelain skin was mottled with bruises and drying blood. One of his arms was clearly broken, and his left eye was swollen shut. Tears of compassion filled my eyes, even as searing pain shot through my fingertips and across my chest and stomach.

'Tseng,' I whispered. He lifted his head. He looked exhausted.

'Elena. I thought you weren't... gonna wake up.'

'Where are they?'

'I don't know. Close by I think, or at least,' he coughed painfully. 'I don't think they've left us alone.'

I nodded. 'How bad are you?'

There was a moments grim silence. 'I've been better. My right arm is broken. Everything else is cuts and bruises...' He trailed off. 'They shot you Elena...'

I nodded, a tear sliding down my cheek. 'Mm, yeah. The needles under my nails weren't a treat either.'

'Elena... They'll try other methods as well, you know that.' Tseng sounded as bleak as I'd ever heard him.

'Yeah, I know. I won't crack, don't worry.'

'Oh, Elena. I'm worried about _you_.'

I wanted to move a little closer to him, but I just couldn't. Everything hurt so much. 'I'm tough, Tseng.'

We were silent for a few moments, then Tseng said 'I hope Reno is okay.'

The mention of his name sent tears streaming down my cheeks. He was probably going mad with worry and anger. I hoped Rude was able to keep him calm, keep him from doing anything stupid. I couldn't reply to Tseng. After a moment, I passed out again.

Please review XD


	4. Pain

Chapter Three

Pain

My god, I was in so much pain. Every time I tried to move, my body screamed. Eventually, I cried out, as much in frustration as anything. We'd been taken down so easily by these... these _children_. They could only be eighteen, nineteen years old. We, the Turks, with our years of experience, had been _humiliated _by them. And I hated it.

'Elena?' Tseng's voice, tired and worried, cut through the cave.

I sniffed. 'I'm okay,' I told him, unconvincingly.

He snorted. 'Yeah, I believe that. I-' He stopped when footsteps sounded nearby. I squeezed my eyes shut. Fuck... they were back.

'I don't like you,' a voice told us, matter of factly. It was the ringleader, the one with the stupid name. Oh, no, wait. They all had stupid names. God, the Turks had been defeated by someone called Yazoo? Humiliating.

I tensed, wondering what this kid, Kadaj, was going to do to us. I heard him approach Tseng, and kick him, hard, in the ribs. Tseng grunted in pain, and I felt a pang of worry. That was the first sign of pain he had allowed any of them to see... Was Tseng weakening?

Kadaj laughed and came over to me. 'Now... you,' he said. 'You're awfully pretty, you know that?'

Ha. That was a joke. I'm my day, I'm not bad looking, I guess. I mean, I'm small and blonde and kinda innocent looking, which I know does it for a lot of people. But right now? I was 

covered in blood and sweat, my hair was caked in dirt from the ground, and I probably wasn't smelling too fresh. Not exactly what I'd call pretty.

I didn't reply, which didn't bother Kadaj. 'I like pretty girls,' he told me.

I had a horrible feeling then that he was going to force himself on me, with Tseng, the closest thing I'd ever had to a big brother, watching. God, what a particularly horrific thing to do, to both of us. Stripping me of any dignity I'd maintained, showing Tseng how powerless he was... I shuddered.

Kadaj kicked me in the mouth. I gagged as hot, tangy blood spilled over my lips, onto the dusty floor of the cave. He kicked me again, in the gut, and I vomited. I could feel it on my cheek as my face flopped forward. He repeated the action until all I could bring up was blood, and then he seemed satisfied.

'I think you know what you have to do,' he said softly. 'To make it stop...'

With an inner strength I didn't even know I had, I pulled myself up, so I could look him in the eyes. His eyes widened and he stepped back a bit.

'I will _never _tell you,' I hissed, forcing him to look at me. For a second our eyes were locked- mine bloodshot and desperate, but resolute, his narrowed and emotionless. He broke the contact, and I collapsed back to the floor, barely even noticing when he struck me over the head, nudging me into unconsciousness.

xoxoxoxoxox

I don't know how long I was out, but when I awoke I felt oddly... numb. It was a sensation that would usually alarm me, not being able to feel any part of my body, but compared to the pain of earlier, it was rather pleasant.

The next thing I was aware of was that I was no longer in the cave. I blinked, trying to work out how that had happened. It was funny, I didn't feel relieved to possibly be away from the brothers grim. Instead, I was rather put out that things had been happening without me knowing.

I tried to drag myself up, feeling the ground below me as I did so. It was softer than before- not quite bed soft, but quite nice. I could feel fabric, and the word 'tent' popped into my head. Yes, I was in a tent, I decided.

I looked around, blinking to clear my slightly hazy vision. I could see shadows through the flimsy walls, and I could hear voices. My heart leapt.

'Tseng...'

Ow. It hurt to talk. The rawness of my throat was an unpleasant reminder of the injuries I must be carrying. I lifted my hands, making a face at my purple, blood filled fingernails. No manicure would be helping that, I thought, sighing.

I let myself flop down again. I didn't know where I was, or indeed who besides Tseng was here as well, but for some stupid reason I felt safe. I was probably kidding myself, and any second now Kazoo or whatever his name was would come running in and kick the living daylights out of me again. But until that happened, I was going to take a nap.

A warm hand was wrapped around mine. The pressure of their skin was hurting my nails slightly, but the touch was so comforting I didn't say anything. I just opened my eyes and looked up.

'Tseng,' I said, smiling a bit. Shit, forgot how sore my throat was.

He smiled at me, tiredly. 'Elena.'

I tried to look around, to see where we were, but my body felt like lead.

'We're on a plane,' Tseng told me, seeing this. 'Cid Highwind is taking us to Midgar.'

I snorted, humorlessly. 'Wow. We must be in a pretty shitty way if AVALANCHE have taken pity.' It was a lot to say, considering how dry my throat was. I also could feel that I was pretty close to passing out again, so I quickly asked Tseng 'Cid saved us?'

He shook his head. 'No. Vincent Valentine.' He squeezed my hand, gently. 'Turk loyalty never dies, I suppose.'

My eyes drifted shut.

Ugh. I didn't want to wake up, but someone was shaking me gently, saying my name. I struggled to keep my eyes shut and ignore whoever the fuck it was. But my god they were persistent.

'Fine. I'm awake,' I grumbled. Ooh, my voice felt better, less like someone was scraping the skin inside with a razor. Tseng's face was above me, and I marvelled for a second at how 

much better he looked. The bruises had faded nearly entirely, leaving him just as handsome as before. He was smiling slightly.

'You're lazy,' he told me.

I glared at him. 'I'm injured.'

'You're nearly better, thanks to Valentine. Come on, try and sit up.'

I did as he told me to, looking around the room. I blinked. 'We're at Healin?'

He nodded. 'Yes. How do you feel.'

'Better,' I said, absently. 'Wait, where's Reno?'

'With Rufus. '

I rolled my eyes. Had he not even been worried about me?

'He doesn't know we're back,' Tseng informed me, as though reading my mind.

'Oh.' I frowned. 'They're not here, then?'

He shook his head. 'No.' He placed a pile of clothes on the bed beside me. 'Get dressed.'

I saw that it was my uniform, and that he was wearing his. Stiffly, I stood and pulled of the battered clothing I had on. 'Can I take a shower?'

Tseng blushed a bit. 'I cleaned you,' he told me, quietly.

I nodded at him. 'Thank you.' I stepped into my dress pants and shirt, doing up my tie with sore fingers, then sliding the jacket on. There was a pair of loafers on the floor that I shoved 

my feet into. 'I'm ready,' I told him. Tseng nodded, and we left the lodge, heading for the city.

A/N- lol, forgot about this story, and then I went on holiday. I didn't write in Vincent's part, because frankly, I've never really understood the character :p. He will come into it again later though... Please review XD


	5. Tseng

Chapter Four

Tseng

I snuck a glance at Elena as we hurried to the city. I had told her something of a white lie- it was true, Reno and Rude weren't aware that we were here, or even that we were alive, though Rufus did. The truth was, they were battling the Remnants, and according to Rufus, being soundly beaten. I wasn't sure who was protecting the President, but he hadn't sounded concerned when I'd spoken briefly to him. He'd just told us to come to the city, and to be prepared to back him up.

We are always prepared. That's our job, isn't it?

Elena's breathing was not entirely even, and I could see that even the effort of walking was difficult for her. I hoped she would be able to wait until it was all over for any kind of professional medical care. I knew how hard I was finding it, and she had probably been hurt worse than me. There was steel in here eyes, though. I should know never to underestimate her by now, I'm sure.

She was probably, I realised, desperate to get there to see Reno. I sighed inwardly. It wasn't so much that I worried about her... _relationship_, such as it was, with him. More that I didn't really believe in it. They were both young, impetuous. Neither thought their actions through, nor did they ever really consider the future. Did they really think they would ever be together? They were so immature, when it came down to it...

I turned to Elena. 'Be ready to back Rufus up when we get there,' I told her. 'I'm not entirely sure of the situation, but I think he'll need us.'

She blinked. 'Reno and Rude aren't with him?'

Shit. 'They're with Strife, I think,' I lied smoothly.

She frowned. 'They're fighting the Remnants?'

I was about to reply, when a loud shrieking met my ears. Wincing, I looked up. And just stared.

'Bahamut...' breathed Elena. She turned to me, panic in her eyes. 'They're too strong!'

I nodded, grimly. 'Let's get to Rufus.'

xoxoxoxoxox

He was on top of what would be the Shinra Building, if events worked in our favor. Kadaj, the youngest and most brutal of the clones, was with him. Rufus was holding something, that I quickly realised what Jenova. The two men weren't fighting, but Rufus was standing. I stared in shock for a moment before I remembered myself.

I indicated the buildings on either side, then tossed Elena a net gun. 'Go!'

She didn't even nod, just ran. It must have been nearly killing her- it was nearly killing _me_. But she ran, as fast as she could.

Inside the building, that seemed to be acting as a hospice for the children suffering from Geostigma, I raced up the steps. It was silent and creepily empty inside, but that didn't matter at the moment. I emerged on the balcony of the eighteenth floor, lungs screaming, and saw Elena emerge at the same place two buildings away. We watched as Rufus and 

Kadaj battled briefly. My hands tightened on the net gun, until it almost hurt. I jumped slightly when Rufus tossed Jenova over the edge of the building, then tensed as an explosion threw Rufus over as well. I pressed the button on the gun, my eyes on Elena the whole time. She was watching me too, as our nets joined, catching Rufus and bucking him back to the top of the building.

I started to run to the bottom of the building. I wasn't as fast this time, as I was tiring, but the need was less urgent. When I reached the street though, I stopped in my tracks.

Kadaj was morphing, changing. The face was so familiar... _too _familiar.

Sephiroth.

Elena and Rufus were together, outside the entrance of the Shinra Building. I was surprised Elena had managed to reach him before me, if I'm honest, though I suppose she is younger than me, more resilient. Across the street, Reno and Rude were open mouthed, watching as Kadaj rose up, still twisting and jerking horribly. I could see Strife, standing atop a near building. When Kadaj was far away enough, I ran to Elena and Rufus. After a moment, Reno and Rude joined us.

Reno threw his arms around Elena. 'Jesus, I thought you guys were _dead_! What _happened_?'

Briskly, Rufus said 'We can discuss that later, Reno. Where are the other Remnants?'

We looked up and down the street. Empty.

'There's nothing else we can do,' said Rude. 'It's in Strife's hands now.'

Reno bit his lip. 'They're strong,' he said, nervously. 'Really, really strong.'

_We know_, I thought.

Elena shivered, clearly thinking the same as me. Without thinking, I reached out and squeezed her hand. She smiled weakly at me. I noticed a slightly put out look cross Reno's face and pulled back.

I turned to Rufus. 'Shachou, are you okay?' He was still standing. I nodded at Rude. 'Get his wheelchair, please.'

Rude nodded, and headed inside. Rufus sighed.

'I'm fine, Tseng. How are you and Elena?'

I felt uncomfortable answering for Elena, so I waited for her to speak. She just shrugged.

'I've been better,' she muttered. Reno was staring at her anxiously, but he didn't speak. We stood in rather awkward silence til Rude came back. Rufus sat back in the wheelchair, a trace of relief showing on his face. As strong as he pretended to be, the injuries he had gained two years ago had affected him deeply. I was concerned about him, but we had other worries for the time being. In the empty street, we stood and waited.

A/N- Ugh, I don't like this chapter, but I had to get the bit with the Remnants done. From the next chapter on, AC is over, so the plot should get moving. I hope :-p Please review!


	6. The Healing Waters

Chapter Five

The Healing Waters

We stood in the street, completely silent, as the cool rain fell from the skies. Me, Tseng, Rufus, Reno, Rude, as it always was and probably always would be. The liquid, as it touched Rufus, seemed to penetrate his skin, washing the disease away. I gazed at the sky, blinking away rain. I don't know what I was looking for- a flash of pink, soft flesh, the flower girl's smiling face. Whatever it was, it never came. The sky was clear and pure, pale blue spreading across Edge, bringing light to a city I'd never known not to be bathed in darkness.

Rude spoke first, surprising even him, I think. 'That's that, then.'

Reno grinned. 'Wow, this rain got to your brain, man? I've never known _you _to break the silence.'

Rude just shrugged. Tseng shifted a bit, then sighed. 'It's really over now,' he said.

I looked at him, curious. 'How can we know that for sure, though?'

He pointed to the main street that was just visible at the end of the one we were standing in. Kids were running around, shrieking and laughing, obviously overjoyed, splashing in the puddles to cure themselves. There was a weird cloud growing over the church, and for some reason it made me think of Meteor- an end, to bring a beginning.

_What's ended this time, though? _The question unsettled me.

'We should get back,' said Rufus, standing suddenly. I blinked. It was weird seeing him up and about. It had been months since he'd last bothered with physiotherapy, and since then, well. Maybe he'd walked in front of Tseng- but not me. So I just watched him.

Someone touched my arm, snapping me from my trance. Reno...

'You okay?'

I noticed that the others were walking away, I assumed back to HQ. I nodded, slowly. 'Mm.'

He was watching me, an odd look on his face. 'Elena...'

I started to walk away, following the others. 'We should get back,' I pointed out. 'Next few days are gonna be important.'

Reno frowned. 'We'll talk soon though?'

I nodded, forcing a weary smile. 'Of course we will.' I didn't give him a chance to say anymore, virtually running to where Rufus, Tseng and Rude were. Though I could feel Reno's gaze on me the whole way, I deliberately didn't turn back, the whole way to Healin.

Sleep was the first priority: there would be debriefings later, and talks about the future too. We would need to see AVALANCHE, to discuss Edge, Midgar, Shinra... just thinking about it all made my head hurt. Geostigma, and the threat it posed to the Planet, had been wiped out so suddenly that we had barely had chance to breathe, let alone think.

I was woken, a respectable five hours later, by a soft rap to the door. I wasn't a particularly light sleeper, but as Turks we trained ourselves to be ready at all times. Especially since Rufus...

I had to force myself to remember that all that was over now. Weirdly, as I dressed in comfortable, non-uniform clothes, I found myself thinking what an anti-climax it had all been. Two years of waiting for Rufus to die, watching him suffer painfully, unable to live anything resembling a life of my own. And then being taken by the Remnants...

I was the last one to come downstairs. It was late evening; Healin was bathed in dark light, but the conference room was lit brightly. Too brightly. I found myself wincing and wishing I was still in bed.

Rufus spoke. 'I don't need to tell you what a momentous occasion today was.' Something close to a smile ghosted over his face. 'Or at least, I hope I don't.'

Rufus Shinra, cracking a joke? Jeez, today _must _have been big!

He went on. 'Tseng, Elena. Your good health is a relief to me. I must say, I was rather concerned that you weren't going to be returned to us.'

I flushed at the genuine warmth in his voice. Tseng cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. 'Thank you, sir. We're relieved to be back.'

Rufus nodded at us. 'And Reno, Rude. I can't thank you enough for your help in fighting the Remnants.'

I glanced over at them, noting Rude's arm in a plaster cast, and Reno's face, bruised and scowling.

'It wasn't a problem,' he muttered. 'I just wish I coulda killed the fuckers.' The anger in his voice was raw. I knew it was on my account.

I wanted to say something to him, touch his hand, make some kind of gesture to tell him that I was okay, that he had done all he could do. But somehow, I couldn't. My arms stayed stiffly at my sides, my mouth resolutely closed.

'At some point very soon, we will need to start in earnest the rebuilding of our company. I have spoken to Reeve, albeit very briefly, and it seems he is quite excited about the idea of teaming up with us- uniting the great powers of the Planet, working together together to keep healing the wrongs we all caused.'

I noticed Reno's jaw tighten. He had never liked the idea of properly working alongside AVALANCHE, I knew that for certain. A worrying thought hit me- would he stick around, if that was happening?

'First of all though,' Rufus continued, 'I want you each to take seven days off.'

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. Tseng bit his lip. 'Sir, are you sure that's such a good idea? Who will look after you?'

Rufus laughed, stunning us all. 'Tseng, you need to stop worrying about me. I'll be absolutely fine.'

'But sir-'

Rufus cut him off. 'I want you all to go home. See your family, your loved ones. Just relax for a week.'

Had I died at the hands of the Remnants? Or was Rufus Shinra really telling us to... relax?!

'All I ask,' he concluded, 'Is that you return with a renewed zest for your work. If you cannot find that on your short break... then I suggest you don't come back.'

Okay, so that was more like it. But still, Rufus was... different.

He rose from his seat, completely unaided. 'You have seven days, starting from tomorrow. Use any of the transport available.' He nodded at us, and then left the room.

No-one spoke for a good minute. Once again, it was Rude who broke the silence.

'I'll go back to Junon, I suppose.'

I looked at him in surprise. 'I thought your mother lived in Costa del Sol?'

He nodded. 'She likes to travel though. Been saying she wants to return to Junon for some time.'

'Oh. That'll be nice for you. I'll go to Icicle, I suppose. My parents retired there after Meteor. It's not home, but...'

'It's enough,' Tseng finished for me, smiling slightly.

I smiled at him. 'You'll go to Wutai?'

He laughed, then indicated the mark on his forehead. I had always wondered what that was. 'I won't be going there for the foreseeable future,' he said, a smile crinkling his face. 'Symbol of banishment.'

I gaped at him. 'Because of the war?'

He nodded. 'I have some family in Mideel. I'll probably head there.'

Reno had been uncharacteristically quiet for the whole of the meeting. He was sitting, arms crossed like a rebellious teenager, glaring at the tabletop.

'Where will you go, Reno?' I asked, a bit tentatively.

He looked up, anger flashing in his eyes. 'God knows. Unlike you guys, I _have _no family.'

I'd always known that Reno's mother had died in childbirth, and then his father had been killed in the Reactor explosion at Gongaga, where he'd grown up. But I'd always assumed there must be someone out there- an aunt, an uncle, a cousin, however distant the realtion, I'd always thought there was someone.


End file.
